Bionicle: Deliverance
by PortionPrize
Summary: The story of a fallen hero, fleeing the many forces that seek his demise.
1. Chapter 1: The Stronghold

This story follows a fallen Toa in his survival of a world at war. Circa 200 years after Great Cataclysm.

* * *

Kualan peered through the branches. Any normal being would have been blinded by rain and darkness, but Kualan saw his surroundings as though they were in late twilight. He was on one of the southern islands; he had lost track of which one. He had hiked through mountainous forests all day and for a good part of the night, until finally he had paused here. Before him was a great fortress, surrounded by a vast moat. He could see down the wall a ways to what was most likely the main entrance. Great spiraling towers rose up and banners flapped in the gale that blew all around

Kualan pondered this for a moment as he wiped rain from his mask. Which southern islands had a fortress like this one? Shelonra certainly did, but he did not think he was that far south. He could be on Amara or Pordalon, but he dismissed those quickly too, for the terrain would have been different. Kulapa then? He shuddered. It seemed most likely he was on Kulapa, an island dominated by a Dark Hunters' fortress. This was unfortunate, as this was the very organization he was fleeing from. Something still nagged at him, told him he was assuming to much, but he was wasting time. A fortress, even a enemy occupied one, would be ideal for rest, recovery, and gathering of news, three things Kualan was in desperate need of.

He made up his mind. Moving silently through the trees he approached the moat. Ears telling him that he was still undetected, he reached the bank of the moat and lowered himself to the ground. Moving agonizingly slow, he slid silently into the water, not that anyone could've heard him over the rain. He took a deep breath and submerged.

Unlike most of the beings in this universe, Kualan had no problem with water. He was a strong swimmer for a creature with no affiliation with element. It was an advantage he would've gladly gave up, if it meant he could be his old self again. He looked around; the water was murky, but not muddy, and he could see clear enough. Slowly he swam around the entire fortress. Then again. He watched the walls the whole way round. Again he had the feeling that he was missing something important. He waited. Nothing came to him, only unease. He kept moving, kept looking. Finally he decided which wall would be least defended, the most promising way in.

He swam up to the inner bank and crawled out. Only a few feet separated the flat stone wall rising impressively skyward from the moat shore. Another being would never have dreamed of going up this way, except if they had a Kanohi Miru. The stone was almost perfectly smooth, and rose over two hundred feet, to whose knows where. But he had made more dangerous climbs than this, though Kualan hated to think of them. He looked down at his hands and arms and, more importantly, the bracers that encircled them. Gifts they had been. Powerful gifts from powerful friends, who were now dangerous enemies.

_Now_, he thought, _they begin they're work as agents against the darkness,_ though he did not feel heroic. He closed his eyes. With a flick of his wrists, two long thin daggers appeared in his hands. They were sharp and pale, almost seeming to glow in the night. Kualan approached the wall and slipped the blades silently into the stone. He tested the weight; they held. He pulled himself up and began the long, hard climb. Pull a knife out, reach up as high as he could, drive it into the stone, and pull himself up. And again.

He was about halfway up when the feeling returned again although this time he immediately knew what was wrong. It left him stunned, frozen, a dark figure against the fortress wall. This couldn't be a Dark Hunter fortress. At least, if it was, they had recently taken over it. The style, atmosphere, and feel were all wrong. In fact, he recognized the architecture style from having spent years around it, defending it, a long time ago. His happiest days had been spent surrounded by walls and towers just like these ones. Maybe he had even fought for this fortress.

It was a Matoran fortress. There would be Toa here.

The realization left him shocked. His reaction left him ashamed. He had forgotten, amidst the war between the Dark Hunters and the Brotherhood of Makuta, that there were Toa in the universe. Toa, who, a short time ago, he would have joyfully greeted as brothers, he now was tempted to flee. And this feeling, of shame and guilt and horror, left him hanging from that wall for a long time. Finally he decided to keep going. He still needed rest and shelter, he thought. _And besides, it will be easier to remain undetected by Toa then if this had been a Dark Hunter fortress._

He continued the climb with a sense a foreboding. Nothing he could do would ease his mind. Though, if he admitted it to himself, his mind had been at unease for days, weeks, long before he saw this tower. He stopped. He had reached the top. Instinct took over again. He withdrew one dagger and slowly slid it above the edge of the wall. Turning it to and fro, he was able to observe the area beyond his sight. The wall ended and became a walkway between two turrets. He could also see two Matoran guards standing along the parapet walk, guarding against intruders like him. He lowered the dagger. How long ago had he conjured it? Long enough, he decided. The daggers wouldn't last forever; they disappeared after a few minutes. Preparing himself to move quickly, he lofted the weapon a few times and threw it, fast and almost strait up. He waited. From the silence it seemed the Matoran hadn't seen it fly by and hadn't moved. A few more second and a satisfying clash of metal hitting stone rang through the air. He heard the startled Matoran gasp and turn to look back into their keep.

Instinct, training, and skill combined seamlessly as he activated his mask and silently heaved himself over the wall. His Kanohi Volitak, the Great Mask of Stealth, rendered him semi-invisible and silent. He saw the Matoran and made a flash decision. He could knock them unconscious and move away with safely, but doing so would make the population of the stronghold realize that there really had been an attack, not a random noise in the darkness. Kualan ran to one of the turrets and pulled open the door the led inside. Glancing back, he saw that neither Matoran had saw him.

Inside was a spiraling staircase, leading both up and down. _Down,_ he thought, _into the basements._ He ran at a speed that would've alerted the whole castle, had he not had his mask. The torches on the wall zoomed by as he raced down. He guessed he was almost to the bottom when he stopped abruptly. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of multiple sets of feet coming _up_ the stairs.

Reflexes took over. He flicked his wrists and jumped. At the apex of his leap he drove the two daggers into the walls where they met the ceiling. Then he swung his legs up and pushed them against the walls, holding himself flush with the ceiling. He hoped his mask would make him transparent enough in the torchlight to go unnoticed. The shadows on the wall preceded his quarries by a few second and revealed their approach. Two Matoran rounded the corner, carrying spear-like weapons. Following them was a Toa. Kualan held his breath. It was a Toa of ice, but Kualan didn't recognize him. Regardless, Kualan felt a strange mixture of joy and terror as they passes underneath him. Another Toa…

But no. Just a Toa. Kualan was no longer a Toa, thanks to the Brotherhood. Kualan dropped silently to the staircase and made it down the rest of the staircase.

His memory of the rest of the night was always sketchy. He quickly became lost, both in the labyrinth of rooms and passageways of the fortress and in his own thought. More than once he caught himself going in circles. Only instinct kept him from being spotted, for his mind was awhirl with hopes and despairs. Uncertainty wrapped itself around lungs and he found it hard to breathe. Could he rejoin the Toa? No, they would never take him back, not after the crimes he had committed. But joy and hope abounded though his mind, only to be crushed by reason and despair a moment later. But the feelings of elation kept returning. He was surprised when he took stock of his surroundings and found himself in what appeared to be a storeroom. How had he ended up here?

Well, this was a good as place as any to hide. He crawled back into a crevice between two crates and shut his mask off. Running it for too long exhausted him. He settled down and quickly fell asleep. Kualan's slept restlessly, with many dreams, ranging from celebrations to tortures. And always, that feeling of about to be discovered made him restless. He slept fitfully until morning, when he awoke face to face with the bright red Kanohi of a Toa of Fire.

"Well, well, well…" said the Toa, without a hint of good will. "What have we here?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Decision

A hero struggles with the decision of what to do with a trespasser.

* * *

Talin, Toa of Fire, sat in one of the medical wards as Matoran healers tended to his injuries. His 'injuries' were not severe but he still went in to set an example for the rest of his team. Also he had wanted some time away from the others after the beating the strange Toa had given him.

After waking up, the strange Toa had immediately attacked. Pulling a dagger from Talin didn't see where, the stranger had kicked Talin back and thrown the blade at him. Talin easily blocked the projectile, and was seconds away from congratulating himself for the parry, but the moment his sword touched the dagger a powerful explosion blew him back into the far wall. Almost unconscious, he watched as the strange Toa tried to flee. Fortunately he had brought Ymmit and Evets with him. They were able to grab the stranger and subdue him before he had left the room. They then removed the additional armor he wore on his forearms.

Talin looked out the window. The mountains and forests of Hugarni looked back at him. Their fortress, the Tower of Duty, was built to be virtually unfindable, and, if found, unbreachable. But clearly their secret home had been both found and breached. What remained to be seen, he mused, was whether this strange Toa knew their secret. Why the Tower of Duty had even been built. If they're enemies found out, they would be doomed.

Talin stood up, stretched his shoulders, strode away from the Healers, and began making his way to the other Toa. The stranger had been locked up in an empty cellar, for they had no dungeons or cells. Two Matoran had been posted as guards outside his door. Talin sighed. They were not equipped for prisoners. They're operation had depended on secrecy. It was unlikely they could keep him imprisoned indefinitely, but they could certainly not afford him getting word to their enemies.

After they had locked the stranger up, Talin had stayed behind with Rakoss to question the prisoner. He had remained silent through the whole interrogation. Talin couldn't even get his name out of him. After giving up questioning, Talin left to the medical wards. He wasn't sure what he thought of the strange Toa. Clearly he was dangerous, but of what kind? The efficiency in which he broke in suggested the skill of a Brotherhood assassin or a Dark Hunter, but the raw ferocity of his attack at discovery suggested that of a cornered animal. And then during the questioning. At some questions he had reacted mockingly, sarcastic, bitter. Like Talin would have expected a Dark Hunter to. But at others he had looked guilty, ashamed, like a child caught disobeying. He was a silent, deadly enigma.

Talin entered the room he knew the others would be waiting. He was not disappointed. Five figures, in a rainbow of armor stood around, waiting for his return. The sun was just rising, and it bathed the room in light. On a table in the corner lay the twin bracers they had taken from the stranger. They gleamed in the sunlight, but with a greying, tarnished reflection.

Hurrok, Toa of Air, was the first to speak, "tell us what your deep-thoughts are brother. We have been debating what we should do with this danger-thief." Talin shifted his weight, thinking what to say. He glanced around the room at his colleagues, knowing what each of them thought. Ymmit and Evets would be willing to risk drastic measures to ensure their safety. Hurrok probably thought they could keep the stranger imprisoned indefinitely, though Talin didn't see how. Shevelek would probably have some ridiculous scheme to deal with him, and Rakoss...

Rakoss, Toa of Ice, said nothing, but shot Talin a look that said much. They both knew that the strange Toa could prove disastrous, to more than just their secret.

Evets, Toa of Stone, interrupted his thoughts. "We can't let him go, and we can't keep him locked up forever. I only see one option left." Ymmit, Toa of Earth, nodded in agreement.

"But we can't kill someone, in cold blood, just because they're inconvenient! Especially not another Toa!" Shevelek interjected. The Toa of Water was the closest to Talin, and he knew that she would never let them simply kill the stranger. She was the most merciful of the Toa, which was a trait far more appreciated before the war. Now it was quite nearly a liability.

"Well the others need what we have, but it's not ready! We can't be weighed down by him!" said Evets. Evets and Shevelek were rarely on non-shouting terms, though their fighting was usually much more good-natured.

"I can't believe we have a fortress without prison facilities" said Ymmit.

"We were in a hurry Ymmit" said Rakoss. "You helped build this fortress. Prisoners were not our main concern. We wanted stealth."

Shevelek interrupted, "I'm sorry, but if we kill him for no reason other than he got in our way, how are we any better than the Brotherhood?"

"You may be right water-sister" said Hurrok. "But unless we can fast-get him away, we may have to shut down our deep-mining. I don't see a safe way-path we can help our friends with him here."

"This cannot be happing" Talin muttered to himself. Then, out loud, "We can't decide anything yet. We need more information. A proper questioning. Shevelek" he said looking at her "go get the Vertyssa. I know you don't approve" he said in answer to her look "but the situation calls for it. Hurokk, send word of whats happened. Our allies need to keep informed. Ymmit, Rakoss, Evets, you check on the Matoran, walk your patrols, and then get to bed. You're off duty. Shevelek, meet me at his cell in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later Talin stood behind Shevelek tensely as she sat down at the table they had dragged into the cell. The strange Toa sat opposite her, still silent. Talin had brought the armor they had taken from the prisoner. Shevelek would be conducting the interrogation, since she had the Kanohi Vertyssa. The ethics behind the mask might be questionable, but the results were indisputable. Shevelek began speaking.

"Hello. My name is Shevelek. I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?" Silence. "Lets start with an easy one. Whats your name?"

The strange Toa sat there for a moment, and for a second Talin thought he wouldn't answer. But then the Kanohi Vertyssa, Mask of Honesty, began to work its subtle, insidious power over the prisoner.

"My name is…" the stranger began, but stopped to clear his throat. This was the first time Talin had heard his voice. It shocked him. For whatever reason, despite the Toa form sitting before him, he had expected the voice of a villain. But he sounded like a hero. He sounded like the elder Toa Talin had looked up to when he had been a novice. _What was he?_ Talin wondered, utterly bewildered. The wild animal he had met initially, the criminal he had acted, the victim he had exuded, the hero he sounded, he seemed to fit all and none of these descriptions. Talin grew far more uneasy than he had felt before. Animal or assassin? Victim or hero? Talin had always been good at reading others, but this strange Toa left him bewildered and wildly grasping for something solid, something real to latch onto.

"Kualan". He the stranger finished, interrupting Talin's thoughts. "My name is Kualan."


	3. Chapter 3: The Past

We began to learn of the past and, maybe, of the future

* * *

Kualan sat across from the blue Toa wondering why he was telling her anything. He knew that he had committed the cardinal sin of being caught, and was so ashamed he had resolved to not bother pleading his case. He was a criminal of war, a traitor, and now a prisoner. He deserved, and expected, no mercy. So why did he answer her? What was that strange feeling he had felt that had compelled him to divulge information? True it had merely been his name, but Kualan was not one to lose his nerve to a pretty voice. He had meant to be steadfast, and had broken his ideal almost instantly. Why?

She gave him no time to ponder, unfortunately. "So, Kualan" she said. What had she said her name was? Shevelek? "What were you doing trespassing in our storerooms?" Her voice was melodious, hypnotic. Once again he felt the curious compulsion to answer her. Kualan tried to fight it. He did not trust these Toa. He did not trust those feelings that rose up in him and told him he was among friends. Regardless he found himself answering.

"I needed a place to sleep. A place I wouldn't be found. I also hoped to hear fresh news. I did not realize this was a Matoran tower until it was too late to turn back."

Shevelek looked curiously at him. "Why did you need rest so bad? What news were you hoping for?" Again the compulsion. Again the struggle. "I have been running for days, maybe weeks at this point, from the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters. I was hoping to hear where their forces are concentrated, so that i might avoid them further." At the mention of the Brotherhood Shevelek exchanged a glance with the red Toa who hadn't said anything yet, but had questioned Kualan earlier. That interview he had remained silent. What was wrong now?

Shevelek spoke, "Why are the Brotherhood after you?"

"They want me to serve them again." Kualan said. This time managing to shut his mouth before he elaborated.

"And the Dark Hunters?"

Curses. "The Dark Hunters have sentenced me to death as a traitor." There. It was out. Not only an enemy of these Toa, but a deserter. He knew there was nothing Toa hated more. He knew…

Shevelek looked shocked, but the Toa of fire's expression was unreadable. "But your a Toa!" said Shevelek. For some reason the feeling that had been compelling Kualan to explain himself was absent now, but a new motive for speaking had risen up in him.

"No" he said bitterly. "I am not a Toa. Not anymore. I may look like one, but that is illusion. I am now no more a Toa than the floor is."

The red Toa spoke for the first time. "Explain". Those two syllables, though they did not carry the compulsion of Shevelek's, held more authority than he could ever remember being in the voices of The Shadowed One or The Makuta. But it did not inspire fear. It was more like he knew, in his bones, that this was a voice meant to be obeyed.

Kualan spoke. "Years ago, I was part of a Toa team dedicated to the protection of a Makuta. We were ambushed and my team was killed. I was left for dead. The Brotherhood came, found me, and brought me back to their citadel. I don't remember most of that time. They told me they had nursed me back to health, but an inexplainable change had occurred. I had lost control over my element and gained the passive traits of all the others; I have a natural resistance to extreme heat and cold, the underwater nimbleness and lung capacity of a Toa of water, the agility and speed of a Toa of air, the strength of a Toa of stone, and the enhanced vision and hearing of a Toa of earth. My old mask had been broken in the scrimmage, so they gave me a Kanohi Mask of Stealth. After I had recovered, they gave me the bracers you took and trained me in the more subtle forms of combat and less ethical arts. They claimed to need me as a spy, scout, and saboteur. After they deemed my skill high enough, they instead handed me over to the Dark Hunters."

"I was unwilling, but eventually I was forced into their ranks by manipulation, threats, and empty promises. Finally they had to rely entirely on direct mental control. And I was the best. I was a thief, a spy, an assassin, an arson. Every crime the Matoran have thought of, I was guilty of. But when the Brotherhood went to war against the Dark Hunters, they lost a powerful grasp they had had over me. One of the main holds they had over me was that the Makuta I had sworn to ordered me to obey the Hunters. The made this a focal point, said I was following orders, confused and swayed me that way. But once they were at war, the Hunters were now in one sense the enemies. It took time, but finally I fully threw off the control they had over me and escaped. I have been running ever since. Twice since I've fled the Hunters I've encountered them again, and both times only narrowly escaped with my life. I also know a Brotherhood agent witnessed one of these encounters, and reported to the Makuta I had turned rogue."

The end of this narrative left the room in silence. Kualan was quite content to say no more if he at all could. Shevelek looked absolutely stunned. The Toa of Fire seemed to have grown more pensive, and stood quietly looking at the floor.

Finally Shevelek spoke. "Were you… did… Did you really do those terrible things?" She asked.

The uncomfortable compulsion returned. "Yes" said Kualan. "And many more. I have stabbed in the back and lied to those who trusted me. I have stolen objects of incredible value and power. I have tortured at times. I have burned down whole villages and killed Turaga."

The silence had returned. Now, more than ever, Kualan knew of his guilt, and knew that there was no way these Toa would let him escape with his life. The silence lasted a long time. Finally, if only to break it, Shevelek lifted out his bracers, set them on the table, and asked "You mentioned the Brotherhood gave these to you. What exactly can they do? And do you know how they were made?"

Kualan thought about this for a moment. The compulsion ultimately vocalized his thoughts. "They were made" he said "in part from my old Mask. I once wore the Kanohi Utorra, the Great Mask of Sorcery. It allows the wearer to conjuror an item out of thin air. The item could not have any powers of its own, nor would it last very long. It became more difficult the larger or more complex the object was. Thus, it was simple to make a small sphere, harder to make a key, harder still to make a chair, etc. Somehow, and I do not know how, the Brotherhood manage to get the damaged Kanohi to work in part, even though it could not be worn. They managed to set it permanently to conjuring daggers. Or rather the pieces. The other part is a little more unpleasant. You know how Kraata are exposed to energized protodermis, and turn into Rahkshi armor? Well, the Makuta discovered that by exposing the Kraata to small amounts of the liquid over a period of time resulted in a lump of metal with the powers of the Kraata used. The metal could then be molded into whatever form they wished. They took a number of Kraata-molds and combined them with my Mask pieces and formed them into the bracers. Thus the bracers are capable of conjuring daggers with various powers, such as shattering, disintegration, and electricity."

"Disintegration?" Shevelek asked. "That explains why a number of our locks were, well, not broken, but were unlocked and filled with sand."

Kualan said nothing. He most certainly must have used his daggers to pick the Toa's locks, as he had done many times on previous occasions. but could not remember this. He must have been exhausted. My Kanohi, he mused, must have drained me even further than I could tell. Certainly in all but the most exhausted states he would have woken to the Toa entering the room and not have been discovered. What a mistake!

He was so intent on his thoughts that he missed what the Toa were saying at first. He became aware of them speaking at Shevelek's voice saying "…all right Talin, we'll go, but I doubt the others will like it." Then turning to Kualan "we will be back shortly." With that she stood up, walked through the door the fiery Toa had just departed through, and closed it with a snap.

"And now?" he said, to the empty room. Silence was his reply. Why had he answered their questions? He would have been better off in silence. Now they knew he was a traitor and a criminal. What had possessed him? His mind was clearer since they had left the room. A trick? He felt sick to his stomach. No, more like a power, a subtle, dark, mind bending power. His eyes narrowed. Had he escaped one torturous tyrant to run to another? From the frying pan into the fire? But he could not quite make himself believe it. These were real Toa, real heroes. It was his own personal demons that were torturing him, not the red and blue figures who had just left, whatever powers they might have used.

A good while later the door open and the Toa of fire, Talin, came back in and sat down at the table opposite Kualan. Shevelek came in as well but stood behind Talin, they positions reversed.

Talin looked at Kualan and said "My team and I have been discussing our plans for you. Killing you would be the easiest solution. We are not equipped to keep prisoners. Letting you go would be madness, since you know where we are, though you may not yet know what we're about. The decision we reached ultimately depends on you, and only became an option through the use of the Kanohi Shevelek now wears, the Mask of Honesty. I know" Talin interrupted Kualan's look of indignation. "That is not the most ethical of Kanohi. The information you gave us we took from you by force. But you attacked us. Or so it appeared. Not many attackers fall asleep mid-battle. But it did offer us another option. It depends heavily, however, on Shevelek using the Kanohi one more time."

Kualan stared at Talin. What other option? But more importantly, how could they ask him if they could use such an invasive, such a corruptive device on him. What he said was "…another option besides death?"

Talin nodded. Maybe, just maybe he could get out of this alive. And that was more than he had hoped for. As hope began flooding his mind his repugnance of the Mask of Honesty faded. It was, after all, different from the methods the Dark Hunters had employed. They had made him do evil things. The Toa, though against his will, had brought truth and honesty about through it. The fact that it did so through his mind has diminishing in importance. Kualan looked across the table at Talin and nodded. "What is this other option?"

Talin turned and looked at Shevelek. Once again Kualan felt the pressure, the compulsion to speak the truth weigh on his mind. The fact that he knew its origin did nothing to reduce its potency. It still held unmovable sway over his mind. "Kualan" said Shevelek, "if we allowed you to join our team, would we be able to trust you?" Kualan's mind reeled. The words she had spoken…they could not possibly be offering what he thought they were offering? But then his shock increased as he heard his own voice, though no volition of his own, yet still apparently true:

"Yes."


End file.
